Are you happy in your current role? More importantly, should you be?

Back in the day - before the Internet, before Recruiters, when there was less choice - workers were company loyal. They stuck around, gave 30 years’ service, got gold watches. There are pros and cons to this, but the information age has definitely changed this behaviour by providing greater visibility of alternatives and greater access to change.

Despite the wealth of information, opportunities, recruiters chasing and cajoling, the average candidate still contemplates a move for 6+ months prior to the straw that breaks the camel’s back, then taking a further 4 months to secure a role. That’s nearly a year spent in some degree of dissatisfaction. Below is a list that might help to assess whether you are happy in your current role, and if today is the right day to step into the job market:Do you feel challenged? Think back to when the job was new, the learning curve steep. Do you still feel outside of your comfort zone, that you are developing? If not, speak to your manager.When your alarm goes off, does it fill you with dread?Not just on a Monday when it’s raining, but every day? If you don’t look forward to hitting your desk, work out what could make that happen and go for it, either internally or externally.Do you feel valued? It’s widely accepted that how you feel is more impactful than what you are given. Does your boss thank you for a job well done? Does your work contribute to the bigger picture? If you feel marginalized or out in the cold, you are weeks away from looking externally.Can you see your next internal opportunity? Does it excite you? If you look at the people above you and dread the idea of becoming them, review your options.Is your pay commensurate with your effort and skills?Money is rarely the main driver for a permanent employee, but you do need to feel rewarded for your efforts. If you don’t, address it internally. Failing that, speak to a Specialist Recruiter and benchmark.When the inMail comes in from a Recruiter, do you open it immediately?When you are happy and engaged, you hit the auto-response; “Thanks for thinking of me, but I am not interested.” If you read it, there is a reason you are doing so.Acid Test – Are you proud to be doing what you do? Not in a Mother Theresa, altruistic way necessarily, but in a way that when you hit your goals, deliver your work, make things happen you feel good about doing so. If not, the rot will set in pretty quickly and worse still, your performance may suffer. Dust off the CV.

Unlike most recruiters, I don’t advocate an external move as the first alternative. If you can tick off some or all of the above as problems, speak to your boss, address them, see what can be done. If there are no options, now could be the right time.